With the advancement of electronic techniques and the development of internet communication, multimedia computers become one of the popular electronic products. In each computer, a BIOS device mounted on the motherboard is applied to serve as a communicating interface between the hardware and the operating system of the computer. By executing the BIOS code stored in the BIOS memory some instructions are performed to boot the computer. These instructions comprise of configuring the CPU; testing the DRAM; initializing the chipset and peripheral equipments; and driving the soft disks and hard disks; then loading the operating system such as DOS, Windows or Linux. After above booting procedures are completed, the BIOS device proceed to do some coordination works for assisting the operating system or application program in communications among the peripheral equipments. Therefore, no matter what type of computer, notebook or desktop, only the content of the BIOS memory is valid and correct, the computer can be booted successfully into the required operating system, and the hardware can be initialized and tested to ensure being in normal state.
According to maintain service records of computers, the damage of BIOS device or flash ROM is the main cause that the computers can not be booted successfully. And except-less BIOS devices can not be repaired due to physical damage, most of them can be repaired by service engineers applying some specific kit or procedures. However for most consumers whose computers are unable to boot, they have not the proper kit and related knowledge to handle it by themselves. Therefore these consumers have to send their computers to the maintain stations for repairing. And that causes interference for the daily works of consumers and increases maintain cost.
For solving above issues, some methods like using two BIOS ROM or adding storage space of the ROM are provided. For example, in Taiwan patent issue No. 446864, a method to automatic backup BIOS is disclosed, wherein the space of BIOS ROM is increased to contain an extra restoring BIOS code. If some errors occur in the booting procedures, the restoring BIOS code is automatically loaded to reboot the computer again. The method can prevent the BIOS device from damaging by consumers because they maybe try to fix it. However the cost of BIOS devices will increase because it is required to increase space of the BIOS ROM.
Besides, in Taiwan patent issue No. 428748, the design of mounting two sets of BIOS devices simultaneously on one motherboard is disclosed, wherein a logic circuit and a differentiating circuit are introduced to switch on another BIOS device for rebooting the computer when one BIOS device is damaged in operation. However, similar to above method, such design will cause the prime cost increased due to adding the physical components such as the differentiating circuit, the logic circuit, and an extra BIOS device on the motherboard.
In Taiwan patent issue No. 454145, a switching interface is introduced to control and substitute the BIOS device on the motherboard. By adding an extra memory for storing the backup BIOS code and the switching interface on the motherboard, according to the operation state of the BIOS device the switching interface can determine to switch the booting priority to the extra backup memory or not for solving the failure of the BIOS device. However it also causes cost increasing due to the extra memory and the switching interface.
Except for the increasing cost due to the extra components, memories, interfaces as mentioned above, the conventional BIOS backup apparatuses also are short of friendness in operation for consumers. In the typical design to backup and restore BIOS, consumers have to pick up and execute instructions from the menu on a screen panel or to disassemble the computer case for replacing the new components. For example, when the BIOS device booting fails, the appearance on screen will change to an operating menu and the consumers are demanded to decide whether or not rebooting again by the backup BIOS code and restoring the BIOS code to repair the damaged BIOS device. However, it is a real torment to most consumers to understand what meanings of the instructions on the menu and make the proper choice based on that.
Even more, in some BIOS backup design, the consumers are demanded to switch a jumper on the motherboard for activating the backup BIOS device or to plug some components provided by the motherboard manufacturing company into the slot panels on the computer cases. And these methods are real persecutions to consumers. Therefore most consumers would rather send the computers to the maintain stations for saving their useless mental and physical efforts. However, the manufacturing companies have to spend lots of cost and manpower on fixing the BIOS devices and serving the consumers.